Life and Death
by StarKat1
Summary: 1xR, 2xOC, When Relena and Heero finally prepare tie the knot, Relena's cousin comes to visit. Can she save Duo from his alcoholism brought on by Hilde's disappearance? Can she give the God of Death a reason to live again?
1. Prologue

The characters of Gundam Wing aren't mine. Sorry to disappoint. Panthanaea, however, is mine, and if you steal her, I will hunt you down and peel the flesh from your bones with a wet noodle! That said, enjoi!

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The void echoed silence around the tiny planet Earth, and it's surrounding colonies. The void was split only by a small transport streaking towards Earth, headed for the tiny Sanc Kingdom.

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Relena Peacecraft sat in her finely furnished lounge, surrounded by friends. She'd sent invitations for the wedding, but hadn't expected everyone to show. Wu-fei, sitting to her left in an armchair, had taken the time to travel from the Gobi, where he studied as a Shao-lin monk, for the occasion. Quatre and Trowa, to her right, had flown in from their homes in the arab region. Relena remembered attending Trowa's wedding; he'd married Quatre's youngest sister. It was only fitting that the two of them ended up brothers; they were such good friends.

She looked over at Heero, who was chatting good-naturedly with the others, and smiled. It had taken them 13 years, but life had finally slowed, and Heero had softened, enough for them to seriously look at settling down. Her eyes fell on Duo, in an overstuffed chair with his back to the door, and grew sad. He was working on his third glass of whiskey and trying so very hard to keep his famous cheerful nature.

She remembered well the events that had led up to his current sad state. He and Hilde had settled down and started building their family. After their second child, Gretchen, was born, they had decided to make it official. The plans were all set, but Duo's wandering eye got on Hilde's nerves one too many times, and after a particularly nasty fight, wandering eyes turned to an unfaithful heart. When Hilde found out about the one-night-stand, she threw Duo's ring in his face. Without a word, she took Solo and Gretchen and left.

Duo searched for months, but was unable to find them anywhere. So, on the day he was to marry Hilde, he married the bottle. He'd been married to that bottle ever since. Relena had found Hilde, but trying to talk to her was futile. Duo missed his children, and they missed him, but Hilde would hear nothing of a visit. That was 6 years ago, and Hilde had since married a nice man who was a very good father. She hoped that someone might become the mistress needed to end Duo's marriage to Jack Daniels.

Relena blinked as she realized they were all laughing at a joke she had missed while lost in thought. She chuckled good-naturedly to hide the oversight and looked up as a butler entered with a note. She took it gratefully and opened it. She stared in wonder at the writing.

Heero looked over at his bride to be as her face drained of color, then flushed again. "Who is it from, Relena?"

"My cousin," she said, breathlessly. Heero looked confused. "Not by blood that can be proven, and distant if she is. It's complicated. We grew up together. Her grandfather was my mother's most trusted advisor, so we may as well have been family." She looked down at the note and then back at Heero. "She flew back from her job on Mars for the wedding. She's at the gate right now."

She looked up at the butler and nodded. "Go ahead and show her in." She then got up to pace. "I...I haven't seen her since before the war. I heard she got her degree in Xenogeology and Xenobiology. I wonder how much she's changed."

Just then the door opened again and the butler entered. "Announcing miss Panthanaea Weridge, granddaughter of Marquis Weridge."

Everyone stood, and Duo turned just in time to see a woman walk through the door. She was wearing Khaki shorts that came to mid thigh, a white t-shirt, hiking boots, and a fine layer of red, Martian dust. Her long mahogany hair was pulled back in a braid and her dark-rimmed glasses hid intense brown eyes. She wasn't gorgeous, but she was easy on the eyes...if one could get past the mud. She smiled at Relena.

"Relena!" Her mezzo-soprano fit her little more than five feet of hight, and slender form. "So I hear you're getting married." She moved to hug Relena with a smile.

"Pan. So good of you to come. I hope I'm not interrupting your work." Relena hugged her cousin with a smile.

"Psh. I needed a break. I was starting to dream in green, just for a change from all the red." She looked at the assembled men. "So, which one's the lucky man?"

Relena laughed. "I'm sorry. I forget myself. Panthanaea, this is Heero Yuy, my fiancé."

Heero bowed. "Panthanaea, eh? Quite a name. European?"

Panthanaea smiled. "Please, call me Pan, and it's Greek."

Relena smiled and introduced the others. Pan shook each hand as it was offered. "These are our friends. Trowa Barton, Quatre Raberba Winner, Wu-Fei Chang, and Duo Maxwell. This is my cousin, Panthanaea Weridge. She's a Xenogeobiologist. She studies organisms and rocks on other planets."

Pan's smile broadened as she shook Duo's hand. He wasn't bad looking, but he smelled of alcohol. She noticed him giving her the same sizing up she gave him and chuckled. "A pleasure, Mr. Maxwell." She pulled her hand gently from his grip and looked at Relena.

"I'm sorry I can't stay longer today, but I'm staying up at the university. I brought back some samples my colleagues there might be interested in, and I'd like to see the looks on their faces when I hand them over." She hugged Relena again and shook Heero's hand. "You're a very lucky man." Heero nodded in response, and Pan winked.

She handed Relena her number and smiled at everyone as she left. "Ciao!" She walked out, her knee-length braid whipping behind her. As soon as she disappeared around the door, everyone sat...except Duo. After a moment, he set down his glass of whiskey and rushed after her. Relena smirked. Maybe her cousin would be just the ticket to turn Duo's life around. Duo needed a reason to live, and if Pan didn't find someone soon, she probably never would.

Duo rushed out the front door of the mansion just as Panthanaea was climbing into a cab. "Panthanaea!" She looked up. Suddenly Duo wasn't sure what he wanted to ask her. To ask her out for dinner or something like that would be a bit sudden, and probably brought on my his slightly inebriated state, so he stuttered.

"W..Ah..Uhm...I'd like to see your work sometime. Maybe over coffee?"

Pan smiled. He was cute, she'd have to give him that. "Meet me at the Starbucks at the U tomorrow morning, 10:30. And be sober, or you won't learn anything." She got in the taxi and drove off towards the University. "Ever the professor, eh Pan?" She chuckled to herself. "'You won't learn anything.' Smoooooth..."

Duo watched her leave, wide eyed. For the first time since Hilde left, he was nervous, and giddy at the prospect of seeing a woman. She wasn't a supermodel, or some sexy stripper. She was just a plain, toned, geology professor who dug in the martian dirt looking for clues to it's past. She showed up at the mansion covered in martian mud, and he'd thought she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He must be drunker than he thought.

He walked back inside and up to the lounge where they were all seated. He sat down and picked up his glass, downing the last bit of whiskey in one swallow. The conversation slowed and then Quatre turned to Duo with a smile.

"So, did you ask her out."

Duo frowned. "Not exactly. I think I've had a little too much whiskey. She honestly looked like an angel to me."

Wu Fei smirked. "The lady is not without merit." Quatre nodded in agreement. Trowa grinned.

"Actually, I bet she cleans up really nice." For that, he got an elbow in the ribs from his brother-in-law. "Hey, I was just saying."

Relena laughed. "Actually, we used to look alot alike. Still do, if you can convince her to take off those infernal spectacles. She hides behind them like a mask, trying not to attract the attention of men. I honestly think she intends to be an old maid professor for the rest of her life."

Everyone laughed at Relena's clip, but Duo just stared into his empty glass. Come to think of it, it wasn't her looks that had grabbed him. It was her eyes. Deep and wise. They seemed to bore deep into his soul and for a moment, he felt naked. Like she could see every secret he had, every flaw, every hole in his heart, every thought in his mind. Everything. It frightened him.

He excused himself, citing that he needed to pick up his dry cleaning before they closed. As the cab took him home, he couldn't get those eyes out of his head. Those deep, dark, searching eyes. He felt there was more to this Panthanaea girl than she let on, and he was determined to figure her out.


	2. Chapter 1: The Girl From Mars

The characters of Gundam Wing aren't mine. Sorry to disappoint. Panthanaea, however, is mine, and if you steal her, I will hunt you down and peel the flesh from your bones with a wet noodle! That said, here's chapter 1!

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Chapter 1 - The Girl From Mars

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Duo Maxwell sat in the Starbucks on the university campus, watching the clock through dark sunglasses. It was the first time in 6 years that he'd been sober, and he was feeling it. He wore a black turtleneck, black slacks, and he was playing with his braid while sipping on coffee. Black. He glanced at the clock again.

Two more minutes and she'd be late. The woman had just waltzed into her cousin's home and subsequently, into his life, and now had him curious out of his mind. Was it the alcohol, or had she really been that pretty? Were her eyes really that intense?

Just as the clock hit 10:30, the door opened, ringing a bell, and Panthanaea entered the coffee shop with a briefcase and laptop bag. She looked around, then spotted Duo, and headed over to the booth where he sat. When a barista came by, she nodded. "The usual, Megan. Little extra cocoa today."

The barista nodded. "Mocha cappuccino with whipped cream, cinnamon, and extra cocoa. Biscotti today?"

"No, but bring me a lemon poppyseed muffin. I haven't had breakfast yet." The barista nodded and headed back to the bar. Panthanaea looked even better to Duo than she had the night before, now bereft of mud and grime, her hair up in a tight bun and dressed in a skirt suit. Her intense eyes smiled from behind her dark-rimmed spectacles.

"Sooo," Duo began, "Busy night?"

Panthanaea laughed, her eyes twinkling. "That's an understatement. Was up all night going over samples, and then someone convinced me to give a guest lecture this morning." She opened her briefcase. "How much do you know about Geology, Mr. Maxwell?"

Duo winced. "Please, call me Duo. Actually, very little, though I dabbled a bit when I was younger."

Panthanaea pulled a small, ruddy brown stone from her briefcase and handed it to Duo. "Tell me what you see."

Duo turned it over and over in his hands. "Little bit of fossilized seaweed, some roots, and a spiral shell." He looked up at her. "Looks like just your average piece of sea-bottom."

"That's right. Very typical, except for one thing. I found that in the canals of Mars." Duo looked aghast. "I know, that was my reaction as well. I was certain one of my interns was playing a trick on me. No one would fess up, and some of my colleagues seemed stunned, so we went back to excavate." She pulled a map out of her case. On it was a photo of the martian surface, with areas striped in blue. "We found a vast seabed that covered over 300 miles of the canal, and was over 400 years thick."

Duo blinked. "You mean meters?"

Pan frowned. "No, I mean years. It was the accumulation of 400 years of silt, plant, and wildlife, buried by 20,000 years of dust. So, around 20,000 years ago, something happened to kill off a rapidly developing native life, that had been in place for over 400 years on Mars." She smirked. "I have colleagues who beg to differ on the time frames, but that's to be expected."

Duo looked confused and Panthanaea frowned again. "What? I thought you asked to see my work."

Duo sputtered. "I did..I DO. It's just...I was just kinda looking for an excuse to see you again."

Panthanaea smiled. "Well, that's sweet. I hate to disappoint you, but I'm married to my work, and not looking for an Affair." She put her materials back into her briefcase, grabbed her cappuccino, and stood to leave. As she walked past, Duo grabbed her arm.

"I know there's more to you than you let on, Miss Weridge. Your eyes are too deep for there not to be."

Panthanaea turned her intense eyes on him sharply. "What would you know about it?"

Duo stood and took off his sunglasses. He stood almost 4 inches taller than her, and she suddenly felt like some character in a romance novel. "I know that a total stranger convinced me to be sober for the first time in 6 years. I know that every relative and friend of Relena's has more to them than they let on to anyone. And I know that, much as you try to hide it, Professor Panthanaea Weridge, you're still a woman under all that science and pretense. And deep down you know it too. That's why you still wear a skirt with your suit instead of pants."

Panthanaea glared. "Just what this world needs. Another beer-bottle psychoanalyst. Please let go of my arm." When Duo released her, she walked out of the coffee shop, trailing ice in her wake. Duo just stood there, staring after her, then came to his senses.

"Whiskey, damnit. WHISKEY psychoanalyst." He growled under his breath, then left the shop, putting on a leather jacket and a black baseball cap. "Can't stand beer..."

Panthanaea wasn't sure if she was more angry that he had analyzed her, or that he was right. Or was it maybe that, for a moment, he'd made her feel lightheaded and vulnerable. She glared at no one in particular as she stormed back to her office. Students, unwittingly caught in her way found themselves on the sharp end of Professor Weridge's tongue. Once she got to her office, she hung a do not disturb sign and slammed the door after her.

Meanwhile, Duo was asking around campus about her, determined to learn more. Students praised her knowledge and mentioned that she'd been working off-planet for almost 3 years now. They also cursed her sharp tongue and strict grading. It didn't take long for him to discover that she'd been in a foul mood on her way to her office. Her fellow professors described her as a loner, but a strong woman. Duo was making slow progress untill he asked her intern about her.

"Who wants to know?" The young man wasn't much younger than Duo, and had the same sort of intense glare that Pan had.

"Just a friend of her cousin. She intrigues me, as a professor, and as a person."

The intern glared, and brushed his dark hair from his deeply tanned face. "Look, guy. Drop it. She ain't interested in men. She travels too much to look at any relationship." His eyes turned sad. "Besides, she's had too many creeps try to be her 'Man' over the years. I know...I was around for the last one."

Duo looked intrigued. "The last one?"

The intern looked distracted. "Yeah. She thought she'd finally found the perfect guy, then, a month before they were supposed to get married, she found him in her bed with another woman. It crushed her." He looked up at Duo. "That's why she took the job on Mars, so she could immerse herself in her work. I helped her pick up the pieces of her broken life, and she won't even look at me with a tender thought. What makes you think that you can do any better?"

Duo smiled mischievously. "Because, my dear boy, I got under her skin." He disappeared down the hall with a laugh. As soon as he was outside, he fished in his coat for his flask. That guy had done to her what he'd done to Hilde. If she ever found out... He lifted the flask to his lips, then pulled it away, glaring at it.

"DAMNIT WOMAN!" He put the cap back on and stuffed it back in his inside coat pocket. He strode out across the Quad, and dashed behind a tree. She was storming across the grass, headed towards the department offices. Probably going to talk to that intern. This would be his chance. He'd found out what he'd wanted to know, and was determined to make her open up to him. Once she disappeared inside, he headed to where her office was and began sweet talking the secretary.

Before long, he'd convinced her to let him into Pan's office, and he set about rummaging through a few items of more personal value. Books, photos, magazine clippings. Keys to what went through her mind in private. His Operation Meteor days were paying off after all. After a few minutes, he'd compiled a pretty accurate profile of her, he'd thought, until he found a notebook between the pillow and canvas on her cot in the corner. He opened it, and grinned. "Oh HOH!"

In it were clippings of wedding dresses, flowers, and short stories in her own hand about romantic interludes, sudden romances, and intrigue of the heart. On the most recent page, he found a stylized description of their scene in the coffee shop. He was impressed, but he was so distracted he almost didn't hear the door handle click behind him. He swiftly stuffed the notebook back where he found it, and rolled under the cot.

Panthanaea stepped into her office and looked around. "Maria, you must have been daydreaming again. There's no one in here." She closed the door and walked over to her cot. She was worn out and could use a nap. She laid down, and in no time was asleep. Duo managed to slide out from under the cot and stood there a moment, watching her sleep. Relena was right. She looked alot like her cousin without those glasses. Duo reached out to brush an errant strand of hair from her cheek, but stopped himself. Instead he opted to leave through the open window, cursing all the while.

"I'm getting too old for this spy crap." He pulled his coat up around his neck and looked at the sky. "It's going to rain..." He shivered. "I just LOOOOOVE Autumn."


	3. Chapter 2: The Boy From Earth

The usual spiel: The characters of Gundam Wing aren't mine. Sorry to disappoint. Panthanaea, however, is mine, and if you steal her, I will hunt you down and peel the flesh from your bones with a wet noodle!

ALSO: The characters are 29ish in this fiction. Yes, it took Heero and Relena 'till they were almost 30 to settle down. I need to recognize a couple friends for their aid in this fic as well.

First, AmuroNT1. His help will be a bit more evident in later chapters, when things get risqué.

Also, Michimoro, who was up 'till all hours with me one night figuring out feasible futures for the cast.

AND: COMMENT FOLKS! Your comments and suggestions may end up in the next chapter! I promise I'll consider them. But no Yaoi pairings. I'm trying to avoid that, if you haven't figure it out from my 1xR pairing and my making Trowa Quatre's Brother In Law.

That said, here's chapter 2!

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Chapter 2 - The Boy From Earth

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Pan awoke and slid on her glasses. It had been a nice nap, but she wondered if she'd dreamed it. She thought she'd heard a man crash in the bushes outside, and swear. She shrugged. Probably some student being clumsy. She stood up and looked in her little cot-side mirror. She straightened her hair and re-pinned a few errant strands into the massive bun. She straightened her jacket and smiled at the mirror, scrubbing some random dried drool from her face. She then turned her attention to the window. The rain was starting, so she slid it shut. She loved the Autumn rains here. They chilled to the bone, smelled of wet leaves, and hinted at snow.

Wet. That's what she missed most about Earth. The wet and the varied colors of life. Mars was dry, quiet, and red. That ugly rust red of unrefined Iron. Once they finished starting up the mines, they'd release enough oxygen from the ground itself to bring Mars back to her former glory. Then it'd be green again.

She shuffled some papers on her desk, trying to put things in some semblance of order. The wind must've blown things about a bit. She managed to get things in stacks, then started filing things in the two tall cabinets along the wall by her desk. It was hard to be home, but Autumn made it easier. Autumn had no ties to Him, and so she could take refuge in Autumn. Her favorite season.

She glanced at the calendar. Just 5 weeks to her birthday. Not alot of time. Ah well, she was too old for parties, and didn't have enough friends to staff one anyway. Oh, sure, if she was still planet-side, the staff in the Geology department would get her a card and maybe a cake, but it was more an excuse for them not to face midterms than a celebration for her. She smiled. That intern, Josef was it? He'd probably get her something. He was sweet, and she was sure he was sweet on her, but he was too young for her, and it had nothing to do with age.

She chuckled to herself. Now, that Duo guy... If he could get past that self-righteous arrogance, he might make a wonderful sparring partner. Maybe even a good friend. She moved another stack of papers and winced.

As she had been cleaning, she uncovered an old jewelry case. She opened it and frowned painfully at the opal necklace and earrings within. They had been a valentine's gift from Him. They were Tiffany, and quite pricey. He never let her return them to Him when she left. Insisted they were a gift for her, and that she should keep them. She pulled out the pendant and put it on. It looked good, but she couldn't stand to wear it. She placed it back in the box and closed the lid, placing it in the bottom drawer of her desk.

After a few more hours of work, she had the office looking like an office again. Just as she sat at the desk, her phone rang. She picked it up.

"Hello, Dr. Weridge's office."

"Hey Pan!" Relena's cheerful voice was a welcome sound for Pan's weary ears. "I hear you got in a fight with the resident egoist."

Panthanaea smiled a bit. "Oh, you did, did you? Eh, it was nothing I haven't seen before. Guys ask to see my work all the time with no interest in my actual work."

Relena laughed. "He probably didn't ask you to dinner because he was drunk, and he knew you'd say no."

Pan grinned. "And he would have been right. You know I don't date, Rere. Hell, it's rare that I even give another human being the time of day."

Relena sighed. "Well, I think you should get to know him better. He's been through much the same thing you have, only she took the kids and disappeared."

Pan frowned. "Poor guy. That's gotta be tough."

Relena made an affirmative noise. "Give him a chance. I think you two'd make great friends."

Pan smirked. "Alright, but don't expect more than that. Have a good night, Rere."

"You too, Pan." With that, they both hung up and Panthanaea sat in the dark of her office, a couple scented candles burning for light. After a few moments of silence, she started as someone knocked on her office door. Maria had already gone home, so she didn't know who it could be. Standing, she went to the door.

"Who's there?"

"Chinese for the lady!" The muffled voice sounded cheerful, and she wagered Relena had sent it for her. She could smell the barbecue pork, and her mouth watered. She opened the door.

"Howdy! Thought you might be hungry!" Duo walked in carrying two large bags of chinese food. Whoever had leaked that chinese was her favorite would be strung up with tomorrow's wash if she ever found out.

Pan frowned. "What are YOU doing here?"

Duo grinned. "Well, my idiocy cost you your breakfast, you've been here working pretty much the rest the day, so I thought I'd bring Chinese and apologize for being so...well...male."

Pan closed the door. "So...who told you I like chinese?"

"That's a secret." Duo waggled his finger at her and began setting out the cary out boxes on her desk.

"Wow! That's alot of food."

"You don't think I'd let you eat alone, do ya, Pan?" Duo grinned as he pulled out two pair of chopsticks.

Pan frowned. "I'm still not quite sure about you, Duo, but I'll give ya a chance to make up for brunch." She pulled up a chair and started looking through the boxes until she found the barbecue spare ribs. "BINGO!" She picked it up and dug in. "Oh, GOD! Geeze, Duo, where's you get this? These are fantastic spare ribs!"

Duo grinned. "I got it out at Golden Dragon." He chuckled. "You sure it's not 'cause you've been without chinese for 3 years?"

Pan laughed around the mouthful she was chewing. "Aah koo be pah o ih" She swallowed. "That could be part of it. Could also be, they've improved their recipe." She set down the spare ribs in favor of some Beef Broccoli. Duo countered by snagging the spare ribs.

"WOW! You're right, there ARE amazing. They must have changed their recipe...or it just could be me tasting them for the first time sober in 6 years." Duo took another bite.

Pan squinted at him and swallowed. "You've been drunk for 6 years? Why!"

Duo frowned. It was an odd look on that usually chipper face. "Fiancé disappeared and took my kids. I haven't seen my son since he was 2. I miss them all, but it's my own fault they're gone. Shoulda just stayed home that night."

Pan frowned. Relena said that he'd had something similar happen, but she hadn't mentioned he'd been the one doing the cheating. "So you took up drinking instead of looking for them."

Duo glared; another odd expression for him. "I looked for almost a year, but she didn't want to be found. I think Relena may have found them, but she wouldn't let on where they were. Just that they were safe, and my fiancé had married her childhood sweetheart, who was a good father for MY kids." He growled and took another mouthful of Kung Pao Chicken. His face turned red and he started casting about for something to drink. Pan handed him one of the sodas he'd brought.

"Dufus. Yeah, she probably did find them, knowing her, but your fiancé probably made her promise not to reveal her location." She took a drink of her own soda and smirked. "I can see why you're so intrigued by anyone close to Relena. You're a pretty deep person, and so you're not easily fooled by anyone equally as deep."

Duo grinned. "That's ME! So, what about you? Any men in your life?"

Pan shuddered. "A few over the years, but, like I said, I'm married to my work. There was one, though... He was alot like you. We were planning a winter wedding. Everything was in place, but one night during the summer, I came home early and found him in bed with my Maid of Honor. I didn't say a word, packed my things, and left. I stayed here for a couple weeks, then I took off to Mars. Hadn't been back since." She took another bite of chow-mein noodles, then switched to some rice.

"Alot like me? How so?" Duo looked intrigued.

Pan laughed weakly. "I dunno why I'm telling you my life's story. I guess it's because you're a good listener. He was a good listener too. He also was arrogant, good-natured, cheerful, and had eyes the same shade of violet as yours." She smirked, then put down the rice. "The resemblance is uncanny to be truthful. Maybe that's why I got mad so easily earlier."

Duo chuckled. "You're not the first to get mad because I wasn't what I appeared to be. I was stupid to ask to see your work when I didn't really know what you did. Alot of what you said went right over my head. I didn't even know they were excavating on Mars until Relena mentioned that's where you'd just come from." He grinned. "I guess I'm just stupid for a pair of pretty eyes when I'm drunk."

Pan raised an eyebrow and he balked defensively. "I haven't had a drink all day, and it's your fault. You're right, I shouldn't have resorted to Alcohol when Hilde left, but I didn't know any other way to deal with the pain aside from massive violence, and the war's been over for nearly 15 years. But, you said you wanted me sober this morning, and, as I was planning to bring you dinner, I felt you'd probably get mad if I was tipsy when I showed up. So, I put Jack away for the day."

Pan smiled. "Good. You should put it away permanently. It's not good for your body, and it kills your mind. I know a great doctor who can help with the withdrawals. I can give you his number if you want."

Duo shook his head. "I'll be fine. I'll just wean myself off. I was planning to give it up soon anyway. Time I stopped wallowing in self pity and grew up."

Pan smirked. "Good for you. What are you going to do with yourself? You gotta keep busy if you intend to quit."

Duo thought for a moment. "I haven't really given it much thought. I really oughtta go back to school. Get a degree in something so I can do something productive with my life." Duo thought a little more. "I'm not sure what I'd like to do, though."

Pan chuckled. "You could try mechanics, engineering, architecture, or even teaching. I think you might have what it takes for all of those. Relena said you used to be quite the mechanic, and you've got the analytical eye for engineering and architecture."

Duo smirked. "Yeah. I don't think I'll go back into mechanics, though. Hilde and I used to do that together. Engineering, however, that might be fun. I doubt I'm artistic enough for Architecture, though. And I'm not patient enough to teach."

Pan smiled. "Well, if you need help getting started here on campus, I can put you in touch with the right people to get financial aid, scholarships, and into any program you want. Just let me know when you make up your mind."

By this time, they had fully gorged themselves and were slowly consolidating leftovers for storage in a refrigerator. Panthanaea pulled the fortune cookies out and tossed one to Duo. "Here, have a fortune. It should be good, if you're truly intent on changing."

Duo chuckled and broke the cookie. "Beware of Grape with Wooden Mallet...Kidding, it says "Fortune smiles on you in an unexpected way." in bed!" Duo laughed. "What's yours say?"

Pan chuckled, cracked the cookie, and laughed heartily. "I always get this one. "Look for love in an unlikely friend." in bed! Been getting that one for years. Not looking, so they can just stop telling me to." She stuck out her tongue at the fortune, soliciting a laugh from Duo, then ate the cookie with a grin.

They sat and chatted idly until they both started to yawn. Pan looked at her watch and blinked. "Good Lord, it's already 1 AM. I have a 9 AM class tomorrow. You should probably go home."

Duo nodded. "Yeah. Thanks for everything, Pan."

Pan walked him to the door. "Thank YOU for the dinner and the company. Let me know when you decide what you want to pursue and I'll see what I can do."

Duo nodded and smiled as he left. "Have a good night."

"You too." Pan closed the door and locked it, then made her way back to her cot. Changing into some more comfortable clothes, she laid down and was quickly asleep. It had been a pretty good day, for the most part.

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Josef - Pronounced Yo-Seff

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COMMENTS PEOPLE...NEED COMMENTS! Also, a cookie to anyone who can identify Duo's fortune cookie joke. the "Beware of Grape with Wooden Mallet"

Also, if Pan seems to be very trusting and open, it's because she suffers from an unusual disorder called Asperger's Syndrome. Look it up. You might learn something.


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